News

Making Stores Accessible
By Alan Gettelman and Richard Duncan

It’s a fact: Safety awareness and accessibility compliance translates into ease of use for all customers. The Americans with Disability Act Accessibility Standards (ADAS) and ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) requirements not only make store spaces accessible, but should also help owners/operators avoid complaints and possible penalties.

Here are some key points:
General Mills unveils limited-time, in-box promotion
General Mills Big G cereals now include four collectible comic books featuring DC Comics' Justice League characters, on shelves now through April 2014.

Four specialty issues created exclusively for General Mills, in partnership with DC Entertainment (DCE) and Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), can be found in grocery retailers nationwide, with a bonus fifth issue available only in select boxes of Cheerios at Target.

Markets to Watch

Remember 2011 and 2012? Back then, the forecasters were saying that the economy would probably be sluggish through 2013. After that, starting in 2014, growth would return.
Intelligrated introduces Knighted fulfillment execution

Cincinnati - Intelligrated is introducing fulfillment execution systems, a new software model from its subsidiary company, Knighted Fulfillment execution systems optimize fulfillment in real time.
Publix Q4 profit up 7.4%

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix Super Market Inc.’s net earnings in the fourth quarter rose 7.4% to $422 million, compared to $392.8 million in the year-ago period.

Sales in the quarter, ended Dec. 28, 2013, rose 5.3% to $7.4 billion, from $7 billion last year.

“I’m pleased our operating performance resulted in another increase in our stock price,” said Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw. “Our associates— the owners of Publix — deserve the credit for this achievement.”
Driving Forces

Founded as a “cook your own steak” restaurant in an abandoned gas station in 1974, Quaker Steak & Lube has evolved into one of the nation’s most up-and-coming casual-dining chains, renowned for its award-winning chicken wings and flavorful — make that hot — sauces. But as much as the food offerings have changed at “The Lube,” the brand remains true to its gas station and vintage car-loving roots.
In the Chips

Combating fraud at the POS with chip-based payment systems
The data security breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus have put a white-hot fire under the push for the adoption of microchip-based credit-card technology to replace the traditional (and, many would say, backward) U.S. standard of magnetic strip cards. (The latter store unencrypted customer data on magnetic stripes.) Advocates of the chip cards, which store encrypted customer data on embedded microchips, say their use minimize the risk of data breaches at the POS.
Weis Markets elevates EVP Kurt Schertle to COO

Weis Markets has promoted Kurt Schertle, previously the company’s EVP, to COO.
Getting 'Ripped' in London with AMZN Prime

In much the same way that warehouse club operators offer exclusive benefits to members so they upgrade to premium levels, Amazon continues to enrich offerings available to Prime members who pay an annual fee.
EMV Standard Combats Payment Card Fraud

As recent events demonstrate, the magnetic stripe-based payment cards used by the vast majority of U.S. retailers, banks, payment processors and card issuers are vulnerable to fraud. The Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) standard used by the rest of the developed world stores sensitive customer data on an encrypted chip, rather than on a magnetic stripe, making payment card fraud much more difficult. Erik Vlugt, VP product marketing for electronic payment solutions vendor VeriFone Inc., recently shared insight on the advantages EMV can offer U.S.